tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48271483302790660362018-03-05T16:13:24.718-08:00Kootenay Energy AdvisorRay Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07799698142053675037noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827148330279066036.post-70188259804057535522014-02-24T09:29:00.000-08:002014-02-24T09:29:44.847-08:00KIMBERLEY, LEADING THE KOOTENAYSFull marks to Kimberley City Council and, in particular, Andy Christie their Building Inspector.<br />Andy has very successfully put together a program that rewards builders of new homes and homeowners who are planning renovations by giving a rebate on the Building Permit fees based on the Energuide rating at completion. On presenting this to Council it received&nbsp; unanimous backing and is now part of the Kimberley Community Sustainability Plan.<br />For so long now many municipalities have talked of energy efficiency, sustainability, greenhouse gas reductions et al. Now, at last, we have a City that has put their money where their mouth is and is really committed to improving local housing for all.<br />As we move on into the time of increased rates from the utility companies this will prove to be a great incentive for homeowners and builders alike to make their properties more energy efficient and more comfortable. In particular, for new homes, couple this incentive with the BC Hydro/Fortis Gas program for reaching Energuide 80, that can pay out over $2000, there is a substantial sum to be had. Why would a builder not do this?<br />If you'd like more information on the program then you can contact Andy Christie at achristie@kimberley.ca or by phone on 250-427-9655 or the City of Kimberley site <a href="http://kimberley.ca/services/planning-development/incentive-programs-and-rebates#Energy%20Efficient%20Building%20Incentive%20Program">HERE</a><br /><br />Ray Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07799698142053675037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827148330279066036.post-22991457423127524892013-10-07T21:47:00.000-07:002013-10-07T21:47:26.445-07:002013 Green Building Conference, Kimberley,BC<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:RelyOnVML/> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> 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mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style><![endif]--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span lang="EN-US">4<sup>th</sup> Annual Green Building Conference – Kimberley, BC <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>November 8<sup>th</sup>&amp; 9<sup>th</sup>, 2013</span></u><span lang="EN-US"><br /><br />Whether you’ve got a building or renovating project underway or are planning for the future, the fourth annual Green Building Conference in Kimberley BC is the place to be. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">This year, the format is condensed to make the conference even more accessible. Our amazing lineup of speakers joining us from across the country will focus on energy efficiency in home renovations and new builds. Join homeowners, builders, designers, realtors, and municipal officials for two days filled with the latest thinking in energy efficiency, resources and inspiration!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Friday afternoon will feature two information-packed half-day workshops: “Air Leakage testing and the Air Barrier System” facilitated by <a href="http://www.e3ecogroup.com/">E3 Eco Group</a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>and “Innovations for Present and Future Green Buildings” by conference favourite <a href="http://evds.ucalgary.ca/profiles/tang-gim-lee">Professor Tang Lee</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Friday night’s keynote address is open to the public – “Retrofit Revolution” presented by Lorraine Gauthier of the “<a href="http://www.nowhouseproject.com/news.php">NOW House Project</a>”.<br /><br />Saturday will offer two streams of workshops running throughout the day. With many homeowners in this region choosing to renovate, one stream will be dedicated to high-efficiency renovations – including everything from a workshop <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>comparing insulation options for cost vs. effectiveness, ’ 10 Steps to a Zero-Energy Retrofit’, to the latest on greener standards for windows and doors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The ‘New Build Stream’ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>workshops will include ‘ Tiny Houses and Small Space Design’, a workshop showcasing <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>green building in the East Kootenays, and a Passive House Triplex project nearing completion <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>near Nelson, BC.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">On Saturday, take in the Green Expo, showcasing regional businesses offering energy saving products and services for homes, onsite at the Kimberley Conference and Athlete Training Centre from 10:30 am to3:30 pm.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Kimberley’s Green Building Conference offers exceptional bang for your buck. Wildsight, the City of Kimberley and the College of the Rockies have worked hard to keep registration fees as affordable as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>With generous sponsorships from CMHC, BC Hydro and others, we are able to offer Friday afternoon workshops at just $85, and the full conference for only $199 with early bird pricing in effect until <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">October 11<sup>th</sup>, 2013.</b></span></div><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Every year, participants and presenters alike leave the Green Building Conference inspired and informed. Don’t miss this unique event on November 8<sup>th</sup> &amp; 9th! For more information and online registration go to <a href="http://www.greenbuildingconference.ca/">www.greenbuildingconference.ca</a>, or contact conference organizer Erna Jensen-Shill at 250.427.2535 ext. 224.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></span>Ray Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07799698142053675037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827148330279066036.post-86464745073445101692013-08-01T20:23:00.001-07:002013-08-01T20:23:57.554-07:00WINTER IS COMINGAnd not just on The Game of Thrones.<br />Now that the BC government's chickens are coming home to roost in regards to BC Hydro, watch <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtJimgNPdE8">THIS</a> for a better explanation, now might be a good time to look at how we are currently building and renovating.<br />I have lived here in BC for 6 years now and I still can't figure out why our homes are not better insulated. From the powers that be we hear plenty of talk (wish we could harness all the hot air??), but when push comes to shove there is very little action.<br />&nbsp;I totally understand why Europe seems to be further ahead with energy efficiency measures, it is price driven and the cost of energy can be expensive. Over here, in The Great White North, energy has always been cheap and plentiful. I fear those days are now over.<br />The cost to heat and cool our homes is set to rise substantially. I wouldn't expect the current BC government to raise the Hydro rates to the business customers, that's not how things seem to be done any more, no, it will be the consumer who pays for the big Hydro scam. Don't rely on the magical LNG fund either, the pixie dust is falling off that fairy tale by the day.<br />When I do energy assessments I can generate a page showing the running costs of a home. Air source heat pumps, coupled with a high efficiency natural gas furnace, always used to show good savings over just using a furnace. I am now finding that, although a heat pump will raise the Energuide rating of a house, it can sometimes cost more to operate than just installing a new high efficiency furnace. As, over the last few years, there has been a push by the electricity utilities to get heat pumps installed - look at the generous grants that were available under the LiveSmart programmes, it is somewhat annoying to now find that they are no longer quite the answer if you also have natural gas to the home.<br />Which brings me back to the insulation topic. In the UK the R value (converted from the European U value) for walls is close to 30. It's colder here, really, so why are we still looking at R 20 anything for walls. I honestly believe that wall construction here should be much closer to R40. This can be quite easily achieved, with some good planning and design work, and can be cost effective too. If you take this a step further and have the heating system designed correctly then, as often is the case, the said system will be smaller and cheaper to install than originally planned and will off set some of the extra insulation costs.<br />Now, I'm not saying that all houses should be built to Passivhaus standards, but the principles behind this system are sound and these homes consume considerably less energy than a conventional home.<br />Our energy costs will not be coming down, surely it is worth looking at better insulated homes. As I have told many of my clients, energy efficiency can be made quite simple as if you can keep the heat in the house then you won't need so much for replacement. Good, or better, insulation is probably the most cost effective thing we can do when we build or renovate.Ray Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07799698142053675037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827148330279066036.post-39280778898943315662013-07-16T20:03:00.002-07:002013-07-16T20:03:38.341-07:00NAFS 08 and the Canadian Supplement or How to get poorer performance windows for a higher cost!A couple of months ago I attended an HPO seminar regarding the new window regulations for the BC Building Code. It was very well presented, as the HPO seminars are, but at the end of it I was left wondering just where we are going with really good energy efficient building.<br />So, the presenter started by saying that the "NAFS-08 standard was developed in an effort to create a single standard for the window, door and skylight industry throughout North America.....except it doesn't"<br />It seems it became necessary to develop a companion document called the Canadian Supplement, for conformance to Canadian and BC Building Codes. To keep this brief, it means that from December of this year any window or door installed into a property in BC will have to have the following; Canadian only performance requirements, a temporary label with product performance and a permanent label identifying the manufacturer.<br />To be able to get these labels under the Canadian Supplement means some very expensive testing for windows and doors, no prizes as to where the cost of this will end up. Chatting with some contractors at the end of the seminar the main comment seemed to be "it would be nice if, just once, the powers that be would introduce a regulation that would actually make it cheaper to build a house"<br />To take this a little further, and I'll say now that this affects me personally, I have always pushed the concept of much better insulation, air tightness and the correct glazing for the orientation of a house. I am a fan of PassivHaus construction and built homes fairly close to this standard prior to coming to Canada in 2007. Energy efficiency is thus simplified into 'if you can keep the heat in, then you won't need so much'. Part of this concept is to install the right glazing. The few PassivHaus builders here tend to look to Europe for their windows as there is a history there for really good performance windows, some of which are certified for PassivHaus. I have had a couple of quotes for European windows for a house I hope to build for me and my wife, just as soon as we can get our present home sold. The quotes took about a week or two to come through. These were windows that were timber inside, metal clad outside, very low U value with a high solar heat gain co-efficient, as there is good winter sun at the location where we intend to build.<br />Item for item the cost was quite comparable with Canadian manufactured units, the big cost is, of course , the shipping. With the onset of NAFS 08 with the Canadian Supplement, I fear that these European manufacturers may not feel it is worth their while to pay for the extra testing involved, several thousands of dollars worth, to be able to sell in, for what is for them, a fairly small market. If this is to be the case then builders of PassivHaus type houses are being very much compromised. There will then be windows that can be installed all over Europe, up into northern Scandinavia, all over the U.S. and into Alaska, but not in BC.<br />For my own build I have now had to try and find a window that is, at least, close to the performance I'm looking for. This turning into a nightmare, for sure. So far I have waited for up to 5-6 weeks for quotes, window reps who don't know what SHGC or VT mean, and they should, wood windows are difficult to get and I hate vinyl for many reasons, and the actual glazing not being anywhere close to what I'd like. I am still waiting for further quotes, but this does not seem much like progress with regard to orientated window selection within the Building Code.<br />The other problem I, personally, am having is with the external doors. Under NAFS08, doors now need to be tested to the same standards as windows. There is a guy, locally, who makes extremely good wooden doors to German standards, that's where he originates from. They are very well insulated and 66mm thick, much more robust than those that I'd normally come across. Again, under NAFS, he will need to pay several thousand dollars to get these doors tested in order to be able to install them in BC. That just isn't going to happen, and the NAFS regulations now will be taking away some of his business, progress eh?<br />All in all, I'm not a happy chappy, and I'm not alone&nbsp; in my thinking either. I really think this is somewhat of a protectionist move and is not promoting better performing windows in regards to the glazing at all.<br /><br />If you want to find out the full impact of these new regulations then just Google NAFS 08, and you will get several papers and presentations come up.<br /><br />Ray Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07799698142053675037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827148330279066036.post-26100206290717556202013-07-15T18:46:00.000-07:002013-07-15T18:46:44.931-07:00Well, it's been a while since a posting...And so I've changed the Blog to Smithy's Soapbox and will, hopefully, post on a more regular basis.<br />As it is now a soapbox I will be blogging just a little more than energy efficiency advice, although there will usually be a link, if somewhat tenuous at times. I have no desire to offend anyone and hope that I do not achieve that. However, there are times when things need to be said, but I'll try to be diplomatic.<br />I will also be seeing things as an 'outsider' looking in, having lived in two other countries prior to coming here in 2007.Ray Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07799698142053675037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827148330279066036.post-57331957757828030202013-02-20T11:52:00.000-08:002013-02-20T11:52:47.621-08:00Upcoming eventsFirst of all another webinar from Mike Young at City Green, this time on the Energy Star Thermal Bypass checklist. To register click <a href="http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=8xbup8cab&amp;v=0018RV34s7Da50S7QX1w1VnGs8c_AGzgJ-zndjOI_FyHMLn62ZWangIJwwLmFYDNQL-lVvr6gyg6FaIOrRSkH5C5bxSQZHNpJuK1REEeFevfIh-UKJ86MZuFConE_YttLfivRmrYUjPw7E%3D">HERE</a><br /><br />Secondly, The Green Building Conference will be in Kimberley, BC again this year on May 10th and 11th. I will post more on this as I receive details.Ray Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07799698142053675037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827148330279066036.post-20976174230555451942013-02-04T08:12:00.000-08:002013-02-04T08:12:17.720-08:00FIVE WAYS TO IMPROVE THE ENRGUIDE RATING ON YOUR NEW HOUSEAn upcoming webinar with Mike Young of City Green, Vancouver Island, tells of 5 economic ways to get a better Energuide rating when building your new house. Register now; https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6069201178997159168<br />This is the first of several webinars regarding Energuide, register for your invites too at the above.Ray Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07799698142053675037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827148330279066036.post-4915705352410844762012-03-20T16:45:00.000-07:002012-03-20T16:45:02.462-07:00A WELL BUILT HOUSE<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-CA</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> 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gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <br /><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">A well built, very energy efficient house is an asset to both the homeowner and the community. It will use less energy, be more comfortable and will be a healthy environment in which to live. This now begs the question ‘Why aren’t we building them?’ Why are we continuing to just build to code, or to put it another way, build the lowest quality house that can legally be built. Why can we not help the forward thinking contractors who are encompassing the latest technologies . Does energy efficiency and green building always mean more expensive?</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Let me expand on these questions and hopefully give you food for thought.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">First of all, there are many changes coming down the line regarding the BC Building Code and the energy efficiency of new houses. Although there has been two postponements already it looks as if the Energuide 80 standard will be here next Spring. The Energuide number is an energy efficiency rating of the house and an Energuide report will give an estimate of the energy you can expect to use per year for electricity, oil and gas. This report is not yet mandatory for new build so if you want to know this information, along with the impact of any suggested upgrades, ask your contractor to arrange for Energuide for New Homes on day one. The ideal time for the contractor to do this would be before any site work commences, it is easier to change details on a drawing than on site.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Other Code changes are likely to include higher insulation levels, much improved air tightness along with a blower door test to show this, improved and more efficient windows, water conservation and greywater recycling, much more use of solar energy. There may also be a policy for energy labelling of homes at the point of transfer or sale.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Better insulation of walls and ceilings can be achieved in several ways but also needs careful consideration of moisture control and air tightness. A new house should be constructed as a system and altering one part of it may affect another. Among methods of insulation improvement will be ICF (insulated concrete forms), SIPS (structurally insulated panel system), exterior insulation to prevent the ‘cold bridging’ of wall studs, staggered double stud walls. All these systems are now readily available and all have their pros and cons. Like I mentioned earlier, fully decide before you start on site.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">The insulation value of a wall is likely to be raised to an effective R24, although I personally think this should be even higher as we do live in a cold climate after all, as opposed to the effective R16-17 we now have. A current Energy Star window will give about R3-3.5. This will change. Triple glazing should become the standard along with more emphasis on the R value and Solar Heat Gain for the appropriate elevation. If designed correctly a window can actually become a heater for the winter and not a hole in the wall.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">“You can have a house that is too air tight, can’t you?” is a question often asked of me. My answer- No, but you can get a house that is too air tight and not ventilated correctly. Big difference.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">When our heating/cooling fuel was much cheaper our houses were often very leaky. At the time this probably was not too much of a problem in terms of energy costs. Now fuel has become more expensive, and will likely continue to rise, we need to keep the heat in instead of just turning up the furnace. Since the advent of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>the R-2000 program houses have been built more air tight. However, going back to the House as a System, a house needs ventilation to prevent air quality problems. The best way of doing this is to install a balanced ventilation system with heat recovery (HRV). Now the ventilation can be controlled and maximised. As much as this may be an energy efficient solution I also consider this to be an important health issue.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Water meters are coming, and we’d better get used to the idea. Already several municipalities in the Kootenays have introduced them and I think it’s only a matter of time before they will be installed in all homes. We all think we have plenty of water in BC. Well we have, but most of it flows north and where do most of us live, in the south. The amount of fresh water available for drinking purposes is considerably less than imagined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>To help alleviate this the BC Building Code is likely to allow for greywater recycling. That is to re-use the water from washing machines, showers and bath tubs by filtering out some of the impurities and then sending this water to the toilets of the house and, maybe, garden irrigation systems. Do you really want to pay good dollars to flush drinking quality water down the toilet? That’s what we do at present. It is already code to install low flow faucets and shower heads. The flushing capacity of toilets is going to be reduced from 6 litres to 4.8<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>from October of 2011. There is actually a 3 litre flush toilet already available.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">If you can, use solar for hot water. It works! In Germany there is the biggest solar industry in Europe. Thousands of jobs created and, if you ever get the chance to visit, you will see solar panels for hot water and also for electric generation on a huge number of homes. The German government has invested much money into renewable energies and homes using photo voltaic panels to generate some of their<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>electric<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>get paid for any excess generated, this is known as a feed-in tariff. Now, every city in Canada has as good as, or better, solar energy than Germany. So where are all the solar panels?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I realise that until our government comes up with a way of taxing the sun<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>there may not be too much in the way of incentives but, especially if you heat your water with electric, solar is a very cost effective method of heating your water. Once installed, you can look forward to many months a year of free hot water for maybe 20 years or more.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">If you heat with electric, or propane, consider the use of a heat pump. These are very effective for both heating and cooling. There are also units that do not require any ducting and they work very well. In fact, if you build a very well insulated, air tight house you may find that a traditional forced air furnace is actually overkill, and not entirely necessary. There are now heat pumps coming onto the market that work well, even at much colder temperatures than previous units.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">On the topic of heating, and going back to my earlier comment of finalising details before starting on site, make sure that the heating system has been designed right with correct heat loss/gain calculations done and, if ducting is being used, that this is also designed correctly. Don’t leave it to when the furnace arrives on site, it’s too late at that stage. Get the system commissioned so that you can see that it is performing as it is designed, it will be with you for a long time.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">So, if you are having a house built ask your contractor about some of these things, and if you are a contractor try to encourage your customers to go that little bit further. There are currently some Energuide incentives being paid by BC Hydro and Fortis BC, these may help.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">A really energy efficient house will not cost substantially more to build than a ‘code house’. The extra insulation, better windows, etc<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>will mean a smaller heating system installation. In many instances the extra mortgage cost to the customer will be outweighed by the much lower monthly energy bills.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">To the municipality it means a lower energy use too. Less water to supply, less water to treat at the sewage treatment plant,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>and a much higher quality housing stock using less energy.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">So why wait until next year or beyond, we should be building to a much better standard now and giving all homeowners the benefits of a more comfortable house that costs much less to look after.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div>Ray Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07799698142053675037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827148330279066036.post-59811552884538632582011-09-09T18:31:00.000-07:002011-09-09T18:31:43.364-07:00INCREASED INCENTIVES FOR ENERGUIDE 80Starting from 15th September Fortis BC are partnering with BC Hydro to offer increased incentives through the BC Hydro Power Smart program. If you get your home built to Energuide 80 there will now be $2000 up for grabs. This also applies to homes using either electricity or gas as the primary heating fuel.Ray Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07799698142053675037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827148330279066036.post-33235549794637003492011-07-16T21:17:00.000-07:002011-07-16T21:17:30.981-07:00New details for the home energy grants.To get an appointment for an energy evaluation the homeowner must get registered with NRCan. To do this either go to&nbsp;<a href="http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/register">oee.nrcan.gc.ca/register</a> or phone 1-800 O Canada. Having now received your registration number you can now contact me for your evaluation.Ray Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07799698142053675037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827148330279066036.post-65551612647345417802011-06-08T11:34:00.000-07:002011-06-08T11:34:55.423-07:00Federal Government to continue Eco- energy grants.In the Budget of June 6th the federal government announced that they intend to carry on with the Eco-action energy grants for homeowners. A start date for the scheme should be announced shortly.Ray Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07799698142053675037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827148330279066036.post-30371428846910614222011-04-06T16:33:00.000-07:002011-04-06T16:33:48.939-07:00BC LIVESMART INCENTIVES TO CONTINUEAnnounced today, the continuation of the <a href="http://www.livesmartbc.ca/attachments/LiveSmart.pdf">BC LiveSmart Home Energy Improvement incentives</a>. After looking over the new grants I feel that the program is much better balanced than in previous versions. There is a lot more emphasis, and increased grants, for insulation and air tightness, something that was lacking before.<br />So, now the weather is improving, it may be time to start those renovations. Give me a call to book your first energy evaluation and get yourself into the LiveSmart program.Ray Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07799698142053675037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827148330279066036.post-74329042485647295412011-03-14T15:36:00.000-07:002011-03-14T15:36:36.001-07:00BC HYDRO EXTEND ENERGUIDE 80 INCENTIVESBC Hydro have recently confirmed that they are extending their $1500 payment to new, Energuide 80 homes built up to the end of 2011. Their Power Smart program also lists several other incentives for appliances, lighting etc.Ray Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07799698142053675037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827148330279066036.post-21921908140498888932011-02-04T15:15:00.000-08:002011-02-04T15:17:56.457-08:00Kimberley Sustainable Building and Living ConferenceHaving participated in this event last weekend (Jan 28-29th) I was very happy, and encouraged to see that the spirit of the Kootenays is alive and well when it comes to matters of sustainability and energy efficiency, and I must congratulate Wildsight, and in particular Erna Jensen-Shill, for their excellent commitment for a second year.<br />There were many very informative workshops covering a wide range of topics from Tang Lee's Healthy Homes through to Permaculture Design for the Land, and just about anything else in between.<br />It was good to see other building techniques and materials being promoted and discussed other than "mainstream products". Straw bale building, in particular, has a strong following in this area and I met our local 'straw bale man' <a href="http://www.strawbalehomes.ca/">The Big Bad Wolf</a>. Another friend, who also presented workshops, was Paula Kiss, who runs the excellent<a href="http://buildingtree.ca/index.asp"> Building Tree</a> in Nelson, a source of all things green. I was also lucky enough to have time to chat with the much respected Murray Frank about the upcoming BC Building Code changes, changes long overdue in my opinion.<br /><a href="http://www.green-building.ca/index.html">Greenman Sustainable Building </a>were also exhibiting their range of Solar panels and the <a href="http://www.bracsystems.com/">Brac Greywater Recycling Systems</a> and, as Greenman are in both Nelson and Invermere, they have the area covered well.<br />Also from Invermere were <a href="http://quiniscoe.ca/about/">Quiniscoe Homes</a> who have some excellent sustainable construction credentials.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; So, all in all,&nbsp; a great weekend and I'm already looking forward to next year.Ray Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07799698142053675037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827148330279066036.post-46201708816800607372011-01-12T12:32:00.000-08:002011-01-12T12:32:07.141-08:00GOT SNOW, TIME TO CHECK OUT YOUR ATTIC INSULATION.Sat here watching the snow coming down reminds me of the easy, and cheap, way to check out attic insulation.<br />Have a look around your neighborhood and see which roof melts off&nbsp; first, a sure sign that there is excess air leakage into the attic, not enough insulation, or both.<br />This can have many adverse effects. Large heating bills, moisture in the attic space and not to mention roof damage from the inevitable ice damming, caused by the snow melting from the warmed roof and then refreezing when it reaches the eaves. Yes, the resulting icicles do sometimes look quite spectacular but, really, not what you want.<br />And the moral of the story, seal up the ceiling as well as you can and add plenty of insulation to the attic. Keep those heating bills low.Ray Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07799698142053675037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827148330279066036.post-58895467997232825312011-01-04T09:39:00.000-08:002011-01-04T09:39:01.113-08:00Sustainable Building and Living ConferenceCome along and meet with me to discuss how to reduce both your energy costs and carbon footprint at the<br /><a href="http://www.wildsight.ca/kimberleysustainablebuilding">Sustainable Building and Living Conference </a>in Kimberley on the 28th and 29th Jan.Ray Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07799698142053675037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827148330279066036.post-58428463505613828602010-12-29T14:57:00.000-08:002010-12-29T14:57:01.801-08:00SAVE WATER, BATH WITH A FRIEND.....No, that was back in the 80s wasn't it?<br />Now if you really want to save water, and especially if you are on a meter and paying for your water, then check out this Ultra High Efficient toilet from <a href="http://www.watermatrix.com/proficiency/">Proficiency</a>. At just 3 liters per flush it is the most efficient toilet on the market. Not as much fun as bathing with a friend mind...Ray Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07799698142053675037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4827148330279066036.post-34504639109507136242010-12-28T15:08:00.000-08:002010-12-28T15:08:39.577-08:00BC HYDRO ANNOUNCE PRICE INCREASESWith BC Hydro recently announcing a price increase of 9% per year for the next three years it would&nbsp; surely make sense to have a thorough energy audit carried out on your home or business premises. There are many ways to reduce the use of electricity, and not all involve large sums of money. The utility companies, in some instances, are also offering incentives for you to do this. So... stop moaning about the cost of energy and start to improve the way in which you use it. Contact me now to book your audit.Ray Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07799698142053675037noreply@blogger.com0